title: Do adult emotional and behavioural outcomes vary as a function of diverse childhood experiences of the public care system?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Longitudinal data from the 1970 British Cohort Study were used to examine the long-term adult outcomes of those who, as children, were placed in public care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multivariate logistic estimation models were used to determine whether public care and placement patterns were associated with adult psychosocial outcomes. Seven emotional and behavioural outcomes measured at age 30 years were considered: depression, life dissatisfaction, self-efficacy, alcohol problems, smoking, drug abuse, and criminal convictions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analyses revealed a significant association between public care status and adult maladjustment on depression [odds ratio (OR) 1.74], life dissatisfaction (OR 1.45), low self-efficacy (OR 1.95), smoking (OR 1.70) and criminal convictions (OR 2.13).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, the present study findings suggest that there are enduring influences of a childhood admission to public care on emotional and behavioural adjustment from birth to adulthood. Some of the associations with childhood public care were relatively strong, particularly with respect to depression, self-efficacy and criminal convictions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King's College London, UK. alexandru.dregan@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dregan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Armstrong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology